


Lightning Strikes

by elem (elem44)



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2019-01-10 21:09:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12307848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elem44/pseuds/elem
Summary: Kathryn is angry about the treatment of the Maquis on their return. She’s on the rampage, determined to make everything right.





	Lightning Strikes

**Author's Note:**

> Fic101 Prompt : Simple

The chime rang incessantly and Chakotay hurried towards his front door. He pulled it open but before he could say ‘hello’ or ‘won’t you come in’, Kathryn pushed past him, tossing her briefcase on the side board, and stormed into the living area.

“Ka….”

“I just heard. I can’t believe it. I’m so angry, I could just scream. How dare they? After all you’ve been through, after all you’ve done. How fucking _dare_ they.” She was pacing back and forth in front of the couch, her arms flailing and her head jagging back and forth. She was spitting mad.

He tried to inject a touch of reason. “Kathryn, calm down. It’s alright.”

She rounded on him. “Alright!!? You’ve got to be kidding. It’s not alright. How can this be _alright_?” She pushed at his shoulder. “How can you just stand there and let them do this to you? We have to do something. We have to lobby the Federation Council. Hell, I’ll demand to see the damn President if I have to.” she turned and jabbed her finger at him. “I’m going to fix this, Chakotay. I won’t let them do this to you.”

“Kathryn, please. For spirits’ sake, stop for one Goddamned minute.”

“No! I won’t stop. Not until this is fixed and they acknowledge what you did.”

Chakotay heaved a sigh. He’d known she’d react like this, and he’d been prepared, but when she was on a roll, she was hard to stop. Virtually impossible.

The Starfleet ruling in regard to the Maquis had come down this morning and it hadn’t been favourable. None of their commissions would stand and there would be no back pay or compensation for their time in the Delta Quadrant. In essence they’d been cut loose. The only positive outcome was that all outstanding warrants had been quashed and the time they’d spent in the Delta Quadrant was being considered as time served in lieu of prison. Chakotay thought they’d gotten away relatively unscathed, but Kathryn didn’t.

She was still ranting. “Don’t worry, Chakotay. I’ve got connections. I’m sure we can organise a hearing with the Court of Appeals and get the ruling overturned. They had no right to do that to you. Not after all you’ve done and all you’ve risked for the Federation. My God, don’t they realise if it wasn’t for you and the Maquis, we’d never have made it home and all that technology they’re salivating over wouldn’t be here? Damn it all to hell.”

She was heaving great panting breaths and looking at him with her hands on her hips and her eyes flashing. “Well, do we have a case? What do you think?”

It hit him like a bolt of lightening. He’d forgotten this woman of passion whom he’d known at the beginning of the journey. She’d been pummelled and battered into submission by the traumas of the Delta Quadrant. But here she was again, in all her glory.

He didn’t think. He didn’t even stop to think. Instead he took two long strides towards her, hauled her into his arms and kissed her.

She was stunned rigid for a moment, and then began to struggle against him, but he just held her closer and kissed her harder. With an almighty shove she pushed him back and stared at him in shock. “What the hell, Chakotay? What in God’s name was that?”

Chakotay was almost as shocked as Kathryn and stood staring at her for breathless seconds, then he laughed. He laughed loud and hauled her back into his arms, swinging her around.

“ _That_ , my darling Kathryn, is something that I’ve wanted to do for as long as I’ve known you.”

“Chakotay! Put me down.”

Still with a smile on his face he let her feet slip to the floor, but kept her snug in his arms.

She looked up at him with a scowl and opened her mouth to admonish him, but the words wouldn’t come. Opening and closing her mouth a few times, she slowly let out a breathy sigh, her face softened and her eyes smiled. “’Darling Kathryn’?”

His grin broadened and he nodded. “My very darling Kathryn.”

Her grin mirrored his and she nodded. “Very darling, huh?”

All of a sudden she jolted back and slapped his chest. “No! No! What about Seven? You bastard!”

He blinked at her. “What? Seven? What the hell are you talking about?”

Kathryn shook her head and took a few more steps away from him. “You and Seven. Love, marriage, the whole shootin’ match. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.” She turned away, angry with herself now for letting him see what she really felt. She’d hidden it successfully for over seven years and then, bam, he kisses her and she’s putty in his hands. What a pathetic excuse for a woman.

His hand rested gently on her shoulder and she had to steel herself to not jerk away.

“Kathryn, I don’t know what you’re talking about. There is no Seven. There never has been.” She turned to accuse him of lying, but the perplexed and worried look on his face was so sincere that she held her tongue. He placed both his hands on her shoulders and looked at her right in the eye. “Kathryn, there has never been anything between me and Seven, except maybe in her fantasies and on the holodeck.” His lips curled in distaste. “Did you ever see the program she wrote with me as her lover?” He shuddered. “Anyway, I can assure you that I have no romantic intentions regarding our resident Borg. Why would I? I’ve been in love with you for the best part of seven years. Why on earth would you think that I had any interest in Seven?”

Kathryn wanted to believe him, but…. “The Admiral told me you married her.”

“She, sweetheart, was a bitter and manipulative old woman. I don’t know what happened to her to make her like that, and I have no idea what her motives were, but she lied.”

“Seven didn’t approach you and ask you to lunch few weeks ago?”

Chakotay thought back and his eyebrows rose. “Yes, she did as a matter of fact.”

Kathryn huffed and put her hands on her hips again. “See?”

“Kathryn, she asked and I thanked her for the invitation but I already had arranged to have lunch with you. I told her no and that was the last of it. I’d forgotten about it, to be honest.”

Still with a scowl, she looked at him. “Really?”

“Yes, really. Don’t you think I would have told you? And besides, Seven would have been on your doorstep in a nanosecond if she was embarking on something as momentous as a relationship with anyone.”

Kathryn’s eyes became distant. “Something must have changed.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean something, somewhere along the timeline must have changed. I know the Admiral wasn’t lying. Why do you think she finished up like that? She loved you, and had to watch you marry Seven. Hell, she probably had to perform the damn ceremony. No wonder she was so bitter and resentful. It makes so much sense now.”

“She loved me?”

“Desperately. It must have broken her heart.”

He was smiling and took a step towards her and stroked her cheek. “I love you desperately too.”

Kathryn jolted at his touch and then realised what she’d said. Her face flushed crimson and she whispered. “Shit.” He was still smiling as she looked into his eyes. She placed her hands on her flaming cheeks. “I’m not very good at this sort of thing. I never have been.”

“Do you love me, Kathryn?”

“Of course I do. Surely you know that.”

“I wasn’t sure.”

“Maybe I’m better at this than I thought. You weren’t supposed to know.”

“Why not?”

“Chakotay, we couldn’t do anything about it out there. It would have killed me. All those lives, all that responsibility. I couldn’t be happy when so many of the crew were so far away from their families and loved ones. It would have been too cruel.”

“Kathryn, Kathryn, Kathryn… my love. What are we going to do with you?” He pulled her close again, holding her head against his chest. “I agree. We couldn’t have been lovers while we were in command. I completely agree. What we had was wonderful and I wouldn’t trade a day of it, but maybe you could have told me, just so I knew.”

Kathryn stared at him askance. “I couldn’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because the minute I told you that I loved you, I’d want to do this.” She grabbed his face between her hands and pulled him to her, clamping her lips on his and kissing him soundly. Her mouth finally slid away from his and panting softly, she rested her forehead on his chin. “See what I mean?”

“Vividly.”

She chuckled. “This is also a disaster.”

“How do you figure that?” He was stroking his fingers through her hair and kissing his way towards her neck.

“We’ve still got so much work to do. We have to get you recommissioned and force Starfleet to do the right thing.” He was nuzzling her neck and as hard as she tried she couldn’t stop her head from dropping back and a moan from escaping her lips. “God, that feels good.”

She could feel him smile against her. “Everything will be alright, Kathryn.”

“How do you know that?”

“Nothing can go wrong when the world is so right. Have faith.”

“Chakotay, you’re an exasperating man, but I’m in no state to argue with you at the moment.” She moaned again.

“Have you got to be anywhere in the next few hours?”

She shook her head. “Uh-uh. Nowhere.”

“Good, then we have an appointment with my bed.”

Kathryn chuckled. “That’s not terribly subtle, you know.”

“Kathryn.” He slipped his arm under her legs and hoisted her into his arms. “We moved way beyond subtle years ago and if I don’t get you naked and soon, we’re going to have a big problem. Starfleet and its idiocy will pale into insignificance.”

With one arm draped around his neck she made a sweeping movement with her other arm. “In that case, lead on, McDuff.” And with a laugh and a shake of his head, Chakotay carried her up to his bedroom.

Several hours later, Kathryn lay snuggled in Chakotay’s arms. They were both exhausted and exhilarated. Their love making had lived up to expectations and then some, although a fit of the giggles in the middle of some very intense oral action was still making Kathryn smile. This certainly added a whole new dimension to this complex and convoluted relationship.

She hugged him closer and kissed his chest. “I wonder what it was?”

He deadpanned. “That was making love, Kathryn. Please tell me that I don’t have to explain to you about sex?”

She gave him a shove and laughed. “No. It’s kind of self explanatory. Idiot.” She stroked his chest. “I was thinking about the time line. I wonder what happened that changed the future?”

“I don’t see how we’ll ever know. We had so many encounters with temporal phenomena, it could have been any one of those, or something we weren’t even aware of. Does it really matter?”

Kathryn shook her head. “No, I suppose not, but it intrigues me how, with just one little change somewhere, our lives are irrevocably altered for the better…. or the worse in Admiral Janeway’s case. Life is such a fragile thing and happiness even more so.”

“That’s why we have to treasure and nurture it, Kathryn, and it’s why I want you to forget about Starfleet and the Maquis.”

She sat up and frowned. “I can’t, Chakotay.”

“You have to. We’re fine. Most of us have already found positions working in the private sector. We’re being sought after for well paid positions. Celebrity does have its up side.” He pulled her back into his arms. “We are a whole lot better off than most of the Maquis and fortunate to have escaped prosecution. I’m not about to push our luck. Can you live with that, Kathryn?”

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yes… but I’d prefer to live with you.”

“That’s simple. We marry and we live together forever.”

She nodded. “Yeah, simple.” They lay in silence for a while, then Kathryn whispered. “Can we do it soon?”

With a laugh he dragged her under him and they made love until the sun rose.

-fin-


End file.
